Missing Shades
by JustLikePagliacciDid
Summary: Asuka has a lot on her plate, between piloting Eva and caring for a mentally unstable Shinji. However, her life gets tougher when terrorists steal an Evangelion and prepare to unleash it.
1. Chapter 1

There was the soft sound of a silenced round, then a groan and a _thud_ as the orderly fell to his knees. The blonde woman and her comrade, a tall, dark, imposing figure in a long green coat, stepped over the corpse, and stood before the blood-splattered keypad. The white-washed corridors stretched out in either direction, some suited men standing guard for the two. The blonde took out a laptop and hooked up to the keypad. Her fingers flew across the keys, and, moments later, the electronic lock slid open and the door swung inwards. Inside was a bed, a desk, and a lonely window twenty feet above the floor. Lying upon the bed was a youth, perhaps fourteen, with buzz-cut dark hair and harsh grey eyes. He was watching the green-coated man intently.

"Mr. Isanov," said the coated man, coldly.

"Invaders…" murmured the boy. His voice was hostile and gravelly.

"SEELE requires your assistance," said green-coat, coldly.

"I don't trust murders…"

"You respect violence. What more do you need?"

"A lot of people cry for my blood… You thirst for my blood, I can see it…"

The man remained silent.

"Or someone else's?" There was another silence. "Yes… I see it… in your _eyes_… I am a means to an end… _death_… but who?"

"SEELE requires your assistance. If you complete the task laid out for you, you will be given both your freedom and a _generous_ sum of money."

"Ah… I see it… I'm another tool… no, a _weapon_…"

The man put on a rare show of patience waiting for a response.

"I'll kill something… destroy someone… for this… now who do you hate?

"Very good, Mr. Isanov. You may address me as Commander Ikari. _Gendo_ Ikari. This is my associate, Dr. Akagi." The blonde bowed.

As Isanov was led out of his room and down the corridor, Ritsuko muttered, "Now all we need is Unit 06."

"It is already taken care of," said Gendo.

---

Shinji was sitting at his desk. Nothing existed, save him, the table, the piece of paper upon it, and the pen at his side. He picked up the pen and stared at it, fascinated. Then, he lowered the pen to the page and started to drag its point across the paper. Lines appeared; some smooth and flowing, others straight and sharp. The hair… that was the hardest part. He drew a few sharp lines, then a circle around the crown of the head, with the occasional jagged line to take into account the chaotic hair. To his great surprise, the picture turned out quite nicely. He reached for colored pens, and picked out a grey color. He meticulously colored in each corner of the drawing, careful not to draw over the black lines. He colored in red next… then he reached for the blue. Then he remembered.

There is no blue anymore.

Shinji was the only person who remembered the concept of 'blue'. The water was the orange-red of LCL, Asuka's eyes were red; Shinji's eyes were grey… but no blue. He was surprised neither of them remembered 'blue'. When he tried to describe it to them, they simply looked at him pityingly and offered to take him to the beach. Shinji loved the beach.

His eyes returned to the picture. No blue… it would have to do. He picked up the picture and hung it above his bed. It was a decent likeness. Shinji sat on the edge of his bed, dawning the headphones of his SDAT. There was one song… slow, sad piano solo, it reminded him of the days before…

Asuka was outside Shinji's door, peaking inside. She waited for Shinji to finish his latest work of art, then stepped inside. Just like every day, it was a picture of Rei, her hair absent of color. The pictures were almost all the same, with backgrounds varying wildly. This one lacked a background, only depicting Rei's austere features. Shinji ignored her as she looked at the drawing; she then sat before him.

"Shinji?"

"Yes?" His voice had become soft and emotionless, just like Rei's.

"Do you feel like some breakfast?" asked Asuka. She had to be careful around Shinji; he was unstable.

Shinji turned over and looked away. Asuka sighed and stepped out. Misato was waiting at the table, scarfing down some toast, looking worried.

"How's Shinji?" she asked.

"Same as always," Asuka sighed. "I never thought I'd feel sorry for that dummkopf…"

Misato cocked her head to one side. "You've changed, Asuka."

Asuka shrugged before swallowing some toast. Suddenly, Misato's phone rang. Groaning, Misato reached for the cell and opened it with a flick.

"Major Katsuragi here." There was a silence. Misato spat out the toast she was eating. "HOW? HOW IS SOMETHING LIKE THAT STOLEN!" Misato jumped to her feat and headed out the door. Asuka followed.

"What's going on?" the redhead demanded.

"Eva Unit 06 was just stolen!" said Misato, dawning her coat.

Asuka's gagged, shocked and amused at the same time. "How in hell do you _steal_ an Eva?" she demanded.

"How should I know? I'll call you when I find out," said Misato, grumpily. "It's your turn to take care of Shinji, anyway."

As the Major hurried out to her car, Asuka grumbled something along the lines of 'It's been my turn for the last week'. Inside, Shinji had eaten half a piece of toast and returned to his room. _He's wasting away_… thought Asuka, as the sad strains of a cello filled the air.

---

_Meanwhile, where something interesting was happening…_

"An entire NERV branch, wiped out…" murmured Misato. She was flying over Tokyo-2 to the North of Japan, to examine the ruins of the small research facility that had been developing Unit 06.

"As of Two-Hundred Hours this morning, all communications with Base 7 was lost," Maya Ibuki was saying, examining a folder. "Five minutes later, the closed-circuit camera system suffered a critical failure, but the base did not go into lockdown, per regulation. A team was sent to investigate, but by the time they arrived, Unit 06 had already been taken and the base personnel killed."

"How many casualties, total?"

"Fifty guards, one hundred seventy scientists and secondary personnel reported dead. There were no survivors."

_Someone really wanted that Eva… but who?_ There weren't any terrorists who were in a position to infiltrate any NERV facility, much less one that housed an Eva. Unless… could another country be behind this? But who? There weren't many options. Japan's relations with most of the UN member nations were fair, except one…

"Ma'am, landing in five minutes." The ruined base, built on a hill, was in sight. Most of it was underground, leaving only a few squat, concrete buildings above ground.

"How'd they get it out?" asked Misato. A few NERV men wearing body armor and carrying weapons lead Misato and Ibuki around the base. Misato's jaw fell open.

Something had crashed through the side of the elevation, ripping through the base's steel walls and fifty feet of soil. Inside, they saw the twisted ruins of the Eva's restraints, and the corpses of the base's previous occupants.

"They must have activated the Eva to do something like this…" Maya said, shocked.

"How? Where would the find the pilot?"

"The dummy plug system?" offered Maya.

"The clones were destroyed," Misato responded. There was a silence. "Maya, I want you to run a search through the old file system. Did NERV find a potential Sixth Child?"

"Ma'am, the only people who would have access to files of that nature would have been Dr. Akagi and Commander Ikari."

"Just do it."

Further investigation of the base yielded nothing. The security system had been completely destroyed, the computers wiped, and the staff killed with nice, clean headshots. The only evidence found was a used cigarette, crushed beneath a boot heel.

---

Asuka took Shinji down to the beach, the same beach they were returned to after Human Instrumentality. There was a wooden cross stuck in the very spot where they arrived; Asuka had hammered it there a week after Third Impact. He liked this place, even if the orange LCL Sea had shrunk over the years. Still, blue had disappeared for good, even the ocean had turned green. Drinking green water was unsettling, but he hid his disgust… they already thought he was insane.

He stood on the shore, watching the orange waves wash between his feet. Strange… soothing… Staring into the liquid, he wondered if there were any fish, far beneath the surface… Suddenly, something compelled him to fall into the water. There was something in the LCL, no, something _was_ the LCL. He felt its touch, there was sentience there. He just allowed himself to fall forward. There was a cry of 'SHINJI!' in the distance, but he ignored it. Something was in the LCL… Yes! He saw it… her! Blue… yes, there was still blue… he saw it at the heart of the LCL, a few strands of Blue.

Suddenly, someone grabbed him and dragged him out of the LCL.

Asuka had been in the sand dunes when she saw Shinji fall into the water. After that, it was a blur of motion as she rushed down to the beach and dragged the Third Child out of the LCL mess. Shinji looked longingly at the fluid as she pulled him out, then neutral. Asuka sighed, relieved. She never told anyone about this incident, but she watched him even closer than usual for a few weeks after.

---

"Another bright morning," said Misato, watching TV as Asuka walked out of her room, "The birds are singing, the insects buzzing, and the world going to hell in a hand basket!" On the television were scenes of violence, a newscast from Moscow, where people were demanding higher wages and lower taxes. UN peacekeeping forces and Russian riot police rushed in to keep order, but were met with small arms fire and rocks. The shot was replaced by a solemn anchorman, who mentioned a death toll approaching one hundred. They cut to a story about a mental institution escapee.

"You never told me what happened with the missing Eva," said Asuka. By the time Misato had returned from work the previous night, the two children had already gone to bed.

"Oh," said Misato. "That. Well, a group of people broke in late at night. Somehow, they crippled the security system, jammed communication, and slaughtered the staff in under fifteen minutes. Then, they activated the Eva and dug out. Asuka wrinkled her nose.

"How did they activate it in fifteen minutes?"

"That took another two hours, but they had reactivated comm. and were putting out false reports every fifteen minutes. We didn't know anything was wrong until they rather abruptly stopped."

"So there are terrorists with an Eva on the loose?"

"If they are terrorists, they aren't garden variety fanatics. These guys were pros; we think either mercenaries or-" Misato broke off abruptly.

"Or what?" Asuka put on her 'imposing' look. Misato was several feet taller then her, but one might not have guessed it. The elder recoiled.

"Or a hostile nation." There was a silence.

"What nation?" asked Asuka, seriously.

"The only country we know of that is both unfriendly towards us and capable of this kind of theft is Russia."

That was a serious moment. "Fuyutski wants you on full alert at NERV HQ in the event of an attack."

"Who'll take care of Shinji?" Asuka asked. Misato cocked her head to one side.

"You really care about him, don't you?"

Asuka blushed. "I care for him like a brother."

"You wouldn't have said that before Third Impact."

"We all changed during Third Impact."

---

Gendo was lurking on the bridge of a submersible aircraft carrier, several miles off the coast of Osaka, Japan.

"Ah, the wonders of technology," said a dry voice, from the corners. It belonged to a tall man with no distinguishing traits beyond a Van Dyke beard and a pair of sharp, green eyes. He stood about six feet tall, and wore a long, black trench coat.

"Technology is man's defense against nature," said Gendo, darkly.

"I'm under the impression that this was built to defend man against other men, but that's OK with me," the trench-coated figure said. Neither his accent nor appearance was Japanese. "I hope you realize that this was pricey, Commander," he said, "Certain people won't be happy about your expenditures."

"If this is a success, they will be pleased."

Ritsuko was sitting at a console a short distance away, surrounded by her staff. "And if this is a failure, we're all going to jail for treason and mass murder." Turning to a microphone, she said, "Pilot Isanov! Deploying Eva Unit 06, now!"


	2. Chapter 2

A horrible grin covered his face. This was delightful; he hadn't felt like this sent 2013! Unit 06 pulled the trigger, and the deafening howl of the giant rifle filled the air. Isanov grinned as he saw a town be replaced by a mess of craters and twisted metal. _That'll get their attention…_ he thought, eager for more bloodshed. The reptilian Unit 06, painted white as snow, was tearing through northern Japan. Osaka, a major city, wasn't far away, but he hoped that he'd have something interesting to fight. He glanced towards the mission timer; all he had to do was hold NERV's attention for ten more minutes.

Suddenly, a blur of red shot past. Isanov looked to see a new gash in his shoulder armor. _So, NERV wasn't as inefficient as the Russian Government._ Adopting a defensive stance, Isanov considered his enemy before tossing the rifle aside and drawing his progressive knife. The white Eva tensed, then struck with a slash of the knife. Unit 02 blocked, grabbing the snow-colored machine by the arm and swinging it round. This proved to be ill conceived, as 06 spun around a buried its prog knife into her side. Asuka winced.

The white Eva stretched to its full height, about twenty taller than 02. Asuka wasn't intimidated, and rushed forwards with a fist. Unit 02 kicked violently, but Asuka deflected the blow and delivered a fist to the chest. 06 stumbled back, reeling from the blow, but responded with a jab of its prog knife. Asuka deflected it with a swipe of her fist.

_Who is this guy?_ She raised her own prog knife over her head in an overhand strike. Unit 06 reached up and grabbed Unit 02 by the wrist. Asuka lashed out with her other hand, but 06 caught her fist with an open hand. Applying all her force, Asuka gradually forced 06's arms inward. Suddenly, Unit 06 kicked, knocking Asuka backwards. It turned and ran towards the coast, eager to escape.

"Oh no you don't!" growled Asuka, as she chased after him. However, Unit 06 was faster, and was soon standing at a cliff overlooking the LCL Sea. It dived into the water in a fantastic leap, disappearing beneath the solid orange liquid in seconds. Not having submersion equipment, Asuka sighed and waited for backup.

---

Gendo was looking at the battered Unit 06 via an observation window. It would cost a fortune to repair, but very soon he would have the money to afford them, and a little extra.

"So, Commander, what did that for us?" the trenchcoat. "We killed a couple of NERV staffers who were on leave, along with a couple hundred others, but I presume there was a reason behind this?"

Gendo gave trenchcoat a severe stare. "Major Sinter, I assure you that your backers have something to gain."

Sinter took an interest. "And what would that be?" he asked.

Gendo walked over to a nearby desk and pulled out several papers. He handed them to Freeman, who looked at them closely. His eyes widened.

"How'd you come up with this?" the Major said, looking up. "These are the schematics for the N5 Strategic Warhead. It's a Japanese State Secret!"

"While NERV was distracted with our assault, Dr. Akagi broke into the Magi computers and stole the plans."

"Yes…" said Major Freeman, his eyes returning to the plans. "My superiors will be very pleased indeed…"

---

Shinji lay on his bed. He had just come back from Hikari'sNERV, where Misato and Asuka had dumped him during Unit 06's attack. He disliked going to NERV headquarters. It brought back painful memories.

It was dark in his messy room. Something about the disorder reminded him of Rei, so he kept it that way. All his pictures of Rei were stacked in a corner, the only neatly assembled thing in the entire room. Suddenly sitting up, he considered his things. There was the old SDAT, a few books, and a cello. Picking up the instrument, he began to play a sad, remorseful tune that he had written shortly after Third Impact.

In the living room, Misato and Asuka listened to the song as they watched TV. It even had lyrics, though Shinji never actually sang them. Asuka did that.

"_I know, I know I've let you down _

_I've been a fool to myself _

_I thought that I could _

_live for no one else _

_But now through all the hurt & pain _

_It's time for me to respect _

_the ones you love _

_mean more than anything."_

Shinji always claimed that he didn't write it, but heard it doing Third Impact. Everyone seemed to roll their eyes at this, but Asuka wasn't so sure. Her own memories of Third Impact were muddled at best, and the song did seem familiar… but surely music wouldn't have come out of that cataclysm?

Shinji brought the song to its conclusion, then neatly replaced his cello. He played music often; it dulled his loneliness. Just then, he was aware of another presence in the room. First, it was just a gentle white glow; then it became a tangible mist. Strange indeed… Shinji found the light comforting, as if it were alive and friendly. The white cloud formed a strange sort of blanket around him. He heard a steady whispering in his ear, speaking so soft he couldn't figure out what they were saying. Strange indeed… but comforting… it

Shinji awoke in the dark hours of the morning, only to find the mist gone. He missed its soothing presence, but it was gone… Something compelled him to walk out on the balcony, and it was there he saw something passing overhead. It was a silver jet, definitely military in origin, made visible by the steady flash of a camera. The jet passed over the western horizon as the Sun rose in the east. Strange days indeed.

Asuka woke up shortly there after. Naturally curious, she walked out to the balcony and found Shinji staring at the western horizon.

"Good Morning, Shinji," she said, mildly. "What 'ya doin'?"

"I saw an airplane," said Shinji, bluntly.

"What sort of plane?"

"A military plane… taking pictures…"

Asuka sighed. Shinji's hallucinations were rare but vivid. She lead him back inside for breakfast.

"I'm sorry, Asuka," he said, suddenly.

"Why?"

"I couldn't help you."

"Help me with what?"

"I couldn't help you fight."

For a few moments, Asuka was silent. "It's ok, Shinji. You're sick right now; you can't be blamed."

Shinji fell silent.

---

"So… Seventh Child, eh?" Sinter grinned. "We're going to have a goddamn army of these things!"

"Finding the child is the _easy_ part. She lives in a youth hostel in England. Locating Eva Unit 07 is the hard part," said Ritsuko.

"Indeed," added Gendo. "This might require certain weapons not within our possession."

Sinter sighed. "What do you want? You're going to kill this year's budget if you keep spending like this."

"We require a full arsenal of long-range offensive torpedoes."

"Why?"

"Unit 07 will be arriving via boat."

---

"It's a beautiful morning! The birds are singing, the insects are humming, and the world is going to hell in a hand basket!" Misato always felt the need to say this every morning. Asuka chuckled inside and set about cooking breakfast. That duty had fallen to her. Strangely, Asuka didn't mind being dumped with Shinji's chores. It was just one more thing that changed during Third Impact.

Shinji was different this morning. He seemed more at ease, and actually ate some decent food. However, his other rituals, such as drawing Rei and playing cello, were unchanged.

"Misato! I'm heading for school!" Taking care of Shinji was a twenty-four hour job, and Asuka, under Japanese law, had to go to school. As such, Misato and Asuka shared the job. Admittedly, Asuka would prefer to remain home (it's not like Misato is the best caretaker ever), but the law demanded it. So, five afternoons out of the week, Misato dragged Shinji along with her. Shinji found these trips dull, but Misato would occasionally take him down to the beach for a walk. Those were fun.

It was inside a clothing department he saw something odd. Misato had whimsically told him to wait while she went into the women's underwear department. It was waiting outside the aisle that Shinji saw her.

Someone bearing a startling resemblance to Rei was some distance away, watching him. The blue hair, crimson eyes, it was Rei… yet strangely not. A strange white mist surrounded her, and she seemed to have the strange, glowing wings she had during Third Impact. Rei was watching him, staring at him as the people walked passed. The crowd ignored her as she stepped through them, wings outstretched.

As she stood before him, Rei gently caressed Shinji's face. The boy's eyes widened as she looked up at him.

"I will protect you."

---

Somewhere in Alaska, some people were out fishing somewhere in the Bearing Straight. This was not highly unusual, and nothing highly unusual had happened that night. Until, that is, about midnight. It was a commercial trip, and would stay out till the wee hours of the morning.

Then, something highly unusual happened. It all started when a man was leaning out over the railing. A tanker passed in the distance, heading south, guarded by two American destroyers. The crew watched this display for a few moments before returning to their tasks. The next anyone knew, the starboard (from the perspective of the tanker) destroyer exploded, a torpedo having blasted away its bottom. The remaining warship fired a volley of torpedoes, but another blast sank it as well. Leaving no witnesses, the unseen assailant fired one last torpedo at the unsuspecting fishing ship, blowing it apart. The lone survivor was thrown clear of the blast, left to wash away in the ebb and flow of the water between Russia and Alaska.

Suddenly, a liquid began flow over the side of the tanker; it quickly, almost desperately, oozed over the railing and into the water. Cutting through the water, it found the castaway and gently surrounded, kindly washing over the unconscious form. It bore him to the coast, then turned and made its way south, fleeing the sinking boat as it was boarded by suited men.

This was enough to put the man in an asylum for a good two years.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **One character introduced in this chapter speaks in 'nasdat', a fictional dialect of English invented by Anthony Burgess in the novel _A Clockwork Orange_. It seemed to fit with the character and situation she is in. Here's a brief dictionary of Nasdat words used in this story:

Devotchka Girl

Jeezny Life

Grahzny bratchnies Dirty Scumbags

Dobby Good

Eemya Name

Razdrez Upset

Nazz Fool

Nochy Night

Shiyah Throat, Neck

Shive Cut, Slice

Shoot Eff (As in the phrase 'Eff you')

I also modified some Nasdat and invented a couple words to suit my purposes:

Pregz Pregnant

Yur Your

Shoot Eff (As in the phrase 'Eff you')

---

Vladimir Isanov liked being alone. To that end, he lived in the underbelly of the ship, where the steady clang of water pipes and the booms of the engines were constant. The emotionless grey metal and coppery rust surrounded him in his solitude. Steel had its own music, if only people would listen.

"Clang, Clang!" he sang to himself, "Metal word! Metal song! Clang Clang Clang Clang Clang Clang Clang-!"

Deep within the ship, the engines roared. Ikari wanted to get somewhere in a hurry.

---

Asuka and Shinji were in the park, sitting at a bench. It was one of the few places where Shinji could relax; he was on edge everywhere else. Asuka supposed that he had been traumatized to most places in Tokyo-3. They all brought back painful memories.

Shinji had suddenly seen a cloud, and, evidently finding it fascinating, stared at it. Knowing Shinji, he'd be like that for a couple hours. Asuka was getting ready to stretch her legs (keeping Shinji in sight at all times, of course), when Hikari saw them.

"Hey Asuka!" she said, running over. Asuka looked over and smiled.

"Hey."

"How are you, Shinji?" Hikari was one of the few people who still addressed Shinji directly. Most asked Asuka about his condition.

"Same…" muttered Shinji. Asuka suppressed a sigh before helping him to his feat and dragging him along for a trip around the park.

"No better?" asked Hikari, whispering under her breath as she followed. Asuka looked sad.

"No. He's getting worse, if anything. Had a hallucination last night."

Hikari sighed. "At least he's better than he was after Third Impact."

That was true. After he tried to strangle Asuka on the beach, Shinji had psychologically imploded. Reduced to a gibbering wreck, he had been kept in a room in NERV for a number of weeks before becoming lucid enough to demand out.

"That's true," said Hikari. "Will you take him back to the psychologist?"

Asuka sighed. "He's terrified of the place. Besides, I think we can help him ourselves."

Hikari shrugged. "Mind if I walk with you?"

"Not at all," said Asuka. So, for fifteen minutes, Asuka was a teenager again, talking about teenager problems. The responsibility of Shinji's care seemed lighter. It couldn't last forever. Nothing could. But, at least for a time, she let go of her troubles. Of course, being called to NERV on emergency business kinda spoiled it, but it was fun while it lasted.

---

Vladimir found was sitting in the entry plug… waiting… waiting… waiting…

"So… why am I still in here?" he asked, crossly. He was having a rare moment of total lucidity.

"Because we need to time this perfectly, right when their defense net is changing shifts."

"Whose? Whose defense net?"

"You've been here before. You'll know."

Vladimir grumbled incoherently. He'd allowed his hair to grow out, creating a tangled mass that reached his shoulders. His eyes were always bloodshot, usually from late nights and troubled sleep, and he wore a mad grin when he wasn't scowling. His psychotic appearance did not go unnoticed by Gendo's underlings; he was given the questionable epithet of "Vlad Dracula," or sometimes "Nny".

He did little to stifle this name calling, instead delighting in their contempt and fear. The glow he felt when he could sit at any table in the cafeteria and immediately have its occupants clear out could not be described. A strange thing to delight in, but Vladimir was a strange person.

"Alright, strike fast and hard!" Vladimir grinned as he was launched from the heart of the ship, towards his latest target…

As he surfaced, a strange landscape met his eyes. Industrial pollution, a dirty river, and plenty of tall buildings. Then he saw it. Big Ben.

He was in England! Vladimir's surprise quickly turned into pensiveness. He was a Russian, definitely, but something about toppling the place of his birth… seemed…

_Ironic_, he thought, _and I love irony_. He advanced towards the cityscape, eager for violence. Smashing buildings and crushing the feeble resistance put up by the army, he sang in his head, _London Bridge is falling down, Falling down, Falling Down! London Bridge is Falling Down, My Fair Eva!_

---

Asuka knew this was insane. She felt it in her bones, and her agitation translated into a high blood pressure and irritability.

"This is stupid!" she snapped, all of a sudden.

"Relax, Asuka, this system has been tested repeatedly." Maya tried to sound reassuring, but she was nervous herself, taking over Ritsuko's job.

"All the testing in the world is worthless when you actually have to _use_ it." Asuka glanced around at the four rusty walls. "This thing looks like it was built before Second Impact!"

"It was built in 2005," said Maya, defensively. "Look, I'll explain it one more time. The Global Deployment System was built shortly after Eva Unit 00. It can deploy an Eva anywhere on the planet within… well, minutes, depending on where you're going."

"It's a decade old!" snapped Asuka. "That's great, just great!"

"It'll work," said Maya, soothingly. _If it doesn't, we're all screwed_, thought the technician. The GDS was almost in position. Just a few more seconds…

"Eva Unit 02, Deploy!"

Unit 02, encased in a white pod, was dropped from a satellite in geosynchronous orbit. Falling through the atmosphere, the first layer of armor burned away, revealing the second grey pod. That burned away as Asuka drew closer to the surface, the small buildings of London just coming into view. Finally, that burned away, and Unit 02 emerged in all its crimson glory.

Vladimir observed a red streak falling from the heavens and smashing into a suburb outside London. A small crater formed, and from it climbed Unit 02, ready to pounce.

"A playmate…" he muttered. Charging, the white Eva slammed a fist into Unit 02's chest, sending it flying backwards. Asuka scrambled to her feat and delivered a kick as Unit 08 rushed forward. It went flying back, crashing through a bridge and crushing boats in the Thames. Leaping forward, Asuka drew her prog knife, but was driven back by a flurry of fists. Vladimir climbed to his feat, snarling, before drawing his own knife and embedding it in Unit 02's shoulder.

Howling with pain, Asuka pulled the knife out and delivered such a kick that Unit 06 went flying into a highrise, demolishing it instantly. The red Eva towered over its opponent, preparing to rip it apart. Suddenly, 06 leapt up, legs outstretched. Asuka was bowled over, and Vladimir was left standing. Unit 02 leapt to its feat, circling slowly. There was a silence, when suddenly Unit 06 charged, knife flashing. Asuka reacted just in time, blocking the overhand stab and jabbing with her own knife. It was embedded in the white Eva's chest. Stumbling back, Vladimir howled with pain. He was sensitive there.

Asuka saw her chance. With a flurry of blows, she drove Unit 06 to the ground. Kneeling atop it, she delivered such a series of strikes that Vladimir was reduced to a gibbering wreck. Concluding with a strike to the head, driving it into a building, Asuka climbed to her feat, ready to celebrate.

---

Inside, Vladimir looked horrible. One eye bulged while the other squinted. A twisted grin distorted his features; his hair was plastered to his face with perspiration. He was muttering incoherently under his breath while his hands stroked the controls.

Suddenly, his limp form went rigid. "What…?" he muttered, putting a hand over one cheek. "Who…? No! No no no!" he howled, face twisted into a grimace. Suddenly, rage colored his features. "Get out, get out spirit…!" he clamped his hands over his ears. "No! I want to forget! Stop bothering me!" Clawing at his face, he continued to howl. "Tanya, get out of my head! You died… _YOU DIED!_" With that, he slammed his head against the Eva's controls, drawing blood. "What are you, some ghost of the past!" His eyes dulled, and he whimpered. "Tanya… why?"

Ritsuko, Gendo, and Sinter were listening to this bizarre monologue passively. They all wanted to see where it went.

"Why did you die?" Vladimir muttered. "Why…?" His features had turned from enraged and terrified to broken and tired. "Now I see it… You died… for me? No… You were…" Suddenly, his eyes lit up. One grew dramatically larger than the other; an insane grin distorted his features. "Now I see it! _Why_! Dream word! Dream song! Why why why why why why why why why-!" Suddenly, his synch ration exploded, approaching three hundred fifty. Climbing to its feat, Unit 06 seemed to be twitching; head bowed and arch backed, it reflected its pilot's normal posture.

"Ah, crap," said Asuka. 06 charged, pounding the retreating Unit 02 with overhand strikes. Shielding her head, Asuka tried to fight back; however, her synch ratio was dramatically lower than Vladimir's. Delivering one, desperate kick, she drove the white foe back, then called for help. The GDS dropped a rifle from high orbit. Unit 06 climbed to its feet, twitching more apparent. Vladimir's synch ratio was approaching dangerous levels; he felt as if his body was coming apart. However, he could have no peace until she was dead. "Blood! My word! My song! Blood blood blood blood blood blood blood blood blood blood blood-! London bridge, London bridge… heheheh… TANYA! GUIDE MY WRATH!"

He started running towards his crimson enemy. Red was **his** color, **his **domain! This **b**I**tch** would not have red! Vladimir was practically blind now, his fury turning the whole world sanguine. The green seas ran red, the green sky ran red; every liquid turned to **blood**!

Asuka was valiantly defending, but her machine was being pounded into the soil. Despite her own kicks and punches, he seemed blind to pain. A particularly nasty kick sent her sprawling. Suddenly, she saw a red streak in the sky, the rifle! Positioning herself before the parliament building, Asuka made a stand. Unit 06 was limping towards her, clutching the prog knife. As the hostile rushed forward to jab, the redhead leapt, grabbing the super-heated rifle out of the air. Turning on the attacker, she neutralized his AT Field and fired a barrage of bullets. It stumbled back, holes appearing in its armor. Finally, it collapsed, having sustained severe damage. Asuka dropped the rifle into the Thames, where it turned the water it touched into steam. Unit 06 staggered to its feat, but was no longer hostile. It limped off downriver and disappeared into the ocean. Asuka had sustained too much damage to stop it.

---

Julia York was thin (for now), short, and relatively friendly. Sure, she was a bit of a 'bad girl'

At the moment, York was sitting on a piece of concrete, watching the sunset over London. She was sitting on what had been her home, Penny Lane Youth Hostel, but had been crushed under the feet of a giant robot. It was just then that an old acquaintance crossed her path.

"Oi, devotchka!" he said. "How's jeezny?"

Her head swiveled towards the approaching boy, a tall, wiry boy with dark hair and a mocking smile.

"Oh, just homeless," she snapped, "Grahzny bratchnies crushed the hostel!"

"Oh, devotchka, you no know how dobby you got it."

"I gots an Eemya, eh?" she said, crossly.

"Yorky yorky, razdrez?" he asked, mockingly.

"Nazz…" she rolled her eyes.

"Find a place, nochy a' comin'. Come sleep at my place, eh? If ya stay out, you find your shiyah shive'd."

"Shoot off," she muttered. "Last time I hung with yur crowd, I nearly got pregz…"

The boy chuckled. "No threat o' that now…" He set off down the road, laughing to himself.

York sighed. She had a lot on her mind right at the moment, and Buzz's intrusion was not appreciated. Cursing to herself, she slid off the pile of concrete and headed off down the road. It was right then that a silenced pistol fired a dart into her thigh. She fell unconscious within seconds.


End file.
